Purdue trustees vote to end benefits for unmarried same-sex partners

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Purdue trustees vote to end benefits for unmarried same-sex partners

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (December 19, 2015)—Benefits to same-sex domestic partners of Purdue University employees will end in 2017.

The Purdue University Board of Trustees voted Saturday to discontinue the benefits to align with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gives same-sex couples the right to marry in all 50 states.

According to Purdue’s vice-president for human resources, Trent Klingerman, since 2002 Purdue offered the coverage to ensure equality for same-sex couples, who, at that time, did not have access to marriage and marriage-related benefits.

With the June 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision, same-sex marriage was made legal nationwide and married same-sex couples now have access to the same benefits heterosexual couples have received.

Klingerman said’ “We recognize that we could no longer continue to offer benefits programs to eligible same-sex domestic partners while not providing those same benefits to opposite-sex domestic partners. To do so would create an unequal and potentially discriminatory environment.”

The Purdue Trustees vote follows similar action already taken by other universities, including Indiana University, University of Minnesota and Penn State University.

Purdue plans to offer benefits to same-sex domestic partners through end of 2016 to allow time for the transition.